


Turning Tables

by Kaz323



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Basically, First chapter is lance's perspective, I relate to lance on a molecular level, It goes over how they fell in love, Lance has anxiety, M/M, Mutual Pining, Reminiscing, Season 2 spoilers, Second chapter is Keith's, Some Swearing, You know that scene in Mark of Athena, and jazz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-22 09:53:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9602558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaz323/pseuds/Kaz323
Summary: After everything they've been through, after all the times Lance let Keith walk away without him knowing. Lance refuses to let him go this time after a fight with Lotor.





	1. Falling Fast

Present: 

Lance turned around after pulling the small blade Keith had let him borrow out of one of the drone’s chest. 

The red paladin was thrown on the ground by Lotor, skidding across the rough rock of the cave. It was clear that he was gasping for air, but when he looked up, there was a laser gun pointing at him.

Lance didn’t even hesitate to send the knife spinning towards him, just as another drone got up and pulled the blue paladin in by his torso, one hand gripping his throat. He scrambled to keep the dominance in the fight, scratches digging deep into his skin, making him wish that he had worn his paladin suit.

He felt lucky to hear Lotor’s scream, though. He guessed the blade of marmora had hit the right spot. He caught a glimpse of the galra prince falling into the long chasm. 

Lance inhaled quickly, a burning sensation clawed his lungs. He heard the smashing of metal before it connected that Keith had gotten to him. His bayar slashed through the drones that were attacking. 

He landed on the ground after the robot went motionless. Keith leaned down next to him after all of them were destroyed, and helped him up. Lance should’ve noticed the glowing circlet on his ankle. He should’ve recognized it from his experience with Nyma. 

When they were both on their feet, Lance touched each side of his cheeks, allowing him to lean forward, lightly grazing their foreheads together. Their breathing stayed in unison for a few moments. Tears streaking their faces. “So much for a relaxing day, huh?” Lance croaked.

His boyfriend made a timid laugh. “I-”

It didn’t even register when Keith was ripped from his arms, being dragged toward the edge where Lotor had fallen. Lance lept for him, only able to grab his wrist as they were swung off the cliff.

Memories flashed through. Never in the last two years since he first laid eyes on Keith at the Garrison had he thought that this was where they would end up.

 

Ten months previous:

They all sat in the control room, watching Keith storm off. Everyone knew he wasn’t feeling angry, it was guilt haunting him.

_“What it means is I must be part Galra.”_ _He showed them the blade as it lit up into a lot larger sword._

_ “Keith, accepting who you are is a-” Shiro started the same speech given to Pidge, what seemed like lifetimes ago.  _

_ He merely waved his hand and walked out after giving one look to Allura’s horrified expression _ .

Lance had taken a long time to accept his feelings for Keith. He took one step forward, ready to run after him, but reconsidered realizing all the others in the room. His crush had remained on the down low quite well up until this. 

“Princess, Keith has more than proven himself.”

“I know. He was-” she coughed. “ _ Is _ a good paladin, but the Galra are unpredictable.”

Lance checked the Marmorians’ unfazed expressions. They weren’t offended, but there was a challenge somewhere within Allura’s words, and Lance knew that they would’ve taken it.

Now knowing the focus wasn’t on the door, he slipped out without further notice. He ran down to the training deck, more than surprised to find it empty. When he went back up to the line of rooms, he stopped in front of Keith’s.  _ He’s in there _ . The words of how Lance couldn’t do anything to help him like this.  _ You’ve never done anything to help him. You’re useless _ .

The door slid open before he could move. Keith was curled into the fetal position on his bed. “I knew someone would be out there.”

“Oh yeah?” He walked in, treading caution.

“I never thought it’d be you.”

Lance knelt next to him, watching those deep purple irises scan him. There were already dry tears on his cheeks. “Oddly enough, I thought just the same thing.” It was a plain lie, but it was the only thing keeping him from saying ‘ _ It will always be me _ .’ His heart kept beating faster as he got within inches from his face. 

“If I wanted to be told everything would be-” he let out a gasp as Lance touched his cheek. “-okay, I would just go to Hunk.”

He snorted. “Hunk isn’t an optimist, despite his efforts.” He pushed a little closer, lips barely pursing. They hadn’t been this close since the night Lance had been injured. Since the night Keith had to carry him into a healing pod. The so called  _ bonding moment _ . The time Lance accepted his feelings for the red paladin.

“And you,” he brushed a bit of hair from Keith’s face while speaking. He stopped moving to keep himself sane.  _ He’s vulnerable, and this is the time you choose to act on your feelings? Great going.  _ “Don’t really need to be told anything. Good or bad. Sometimes, you just need-” He let the last word whisper through just as his lips felt Keith’s. “-a distraction.”

His lips were softer than Lance could’ve imagined. He was gentle as he could be. One hand remained on the side of Keith’s face while the other braced himself on his bed. The red paladin only pulled away to reposition himself upwards, pushing back in a lot harder the second time. His hands went straight for the brunette’s hair, eyes now closed.

Lance complied with the new rhythm, taking one hand down to Keith’s waist. Keith slid off of his bed, now also on his knees. It was a constricting position, but he still could work with that. 

He had to remain calm, very aware that this was only an act out of those buried emotions of his. Not because he was madly in love with him.  _ This is Keith, he doesn’t really want you. _

Eventually, they both pulled away, unable to look at the other.

“You should go, then.”

“Yeah,” Lance said, licking his lips. “Probably.”

 

They were all given their missions. While Lance was incredibly grateful to not be on a mission with Keith, he didn’t want him to be with Hunk either. Mostly because Hunk knew Lance more than anyone ever, and he  _ probably  _ already knew about the crush.

After they were sent off, Lance, Pidge and Shiro went off, as well. It was a good thing because he didn’t have to focus on the kiss, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Keith was still thinking about it. 

When he had found Slav, he wanted to keep the conversation as far away from the red paladin as possible, but Slav kept  _ insisting  _ to hear more about his team, and Keith, unfortunately was part of that.

“Yup.”

He couldn’t stop himself. He went on a short tangent on how cool Keith was, but luckily, he refrained from talking about their kiss. He was slowed down only by the thoughts that began to contaminate his head.  _ Not only does he not care about you, the rest of them don’t either _ .

“That’s a terrible wheel to be.”

“Yup…”

 

Returning to the Castle had been hard enough, seeing Keith run back into his little hermit hole after the fight and the talk with Allura. Lance scowled and decided he would  _ also  _ go and wallow. The obvious answer was that Keith was still upset about being Galra and having the idea that he is a horrible being for being so. Yet, Lance kept wondering if it  _ was _ about him. 

_ I basically forced myself upon him. What did I expect _ ? He was in the castle’s library, but there weren’t any books, more like tablet things. It wasn’t the same as the swift smell of paper or the small cuts you would often get when turning a page. He fell back from his criss crossed position, his arms splayed out far from him.

“Hey, buddy,” Hunk said. 

“Hey, man.” Lance sat back up to face his friend. “What’s going on?”

“I was just wondering if you were gonna tell me about Keith.” He sat down next to him, bottom lip poking out. “If I am still your best friend.”

“Of course you are.” A long silence. “So Keith told you?”

“He tried not to, but when we started talking about you he got super weird.” He raised an eyebrow. “So, what happened?”

“I kissed him.”

“And how was that?” He could see the excitement buzz in Hunk’s eyes. 

He let out a long sigh, remembering it perfectly. “Amazing.” When he snapped out of his trance, he quickly started waving his hands. “I mean, yeah. But now I’ve messed everything up! He hasn’t even talked to me!”

He snickered. “Dude, we’re all a team. You didn’t mess anything up, I promise.” It was easy to trust Hunk’s judgement. He just couldn’t lie. “But, if you’re worried about being  _ with  _ him, he’ll come around.”

When Hunk placed an arm around him, Lance melted into his friend’s comfort. It was nice to always have him there. 

 

And Hunk, of course, was right. He did come around. A knock on his bedroom door, and when Lance stood up to answer, it slid open on its own, revealing him. Pain was evident on his face, but he only pushed forward, planting a passionate kiss on his lips, pinning him to the wall next to his bed.

Lance tried to savor the moment, taking note of the smell, lighting, sounds. He was making the perfect hum, as well as long breaths through his nose. The dim light made it almost impossible to see Keith’s eyes. He didn’t know whether they were open or closed. His  _ smell _ was probably the most intoxicating thing in the whole situation, other than the tongue being shoved into his mouth. He had almost a fruity smell along with a long salty taste of sweat. 

He didn’t want to know what caused this, but it didn’t matter, as long as it never ended.

Naturally, it did end. Keith pulled away and exited the room, leaving Lance to bite his knuckles in heavy gasps. “Damn,” he whispered, watching the empty space where he had been.

 

It happened a few more times before the plan to defeat Zarkon was ready. None were as abrupt as the first. Lance wanted to be angry that Keith was taking out his emotions on him, but he couldn’t stand to be, considering that he had basically offered beforehand. Plus, he loved the thrill.

It was all fine because Lance kept telling himself that this  _ was  _ what he wanted. This was an okay situation considering that they would likely die within the next day. It wasn’t that Lance figured this was a certain death situation, he just really wanted to be with him, and if this was as close they were going to get, the blue paladin would be okay with that.

Though, it came to an abrupt stop when Keith volunteered to go onto Zarkon’s ship in Thace’s spot.  _ He has a fucking death wish _ . There was panic behind those eyes, Lance knew it. There was something deeper within.

They were alone only for a little bit before Hunk came in to check the pod. He approached him, soft touches to the back of his neck. He pulled their foreheads together, a shaky breath released.

“You don’t have to prove anything, Keith.”

He winced at that. “It’s the only way to finish this. Don’t you want to go home?”

“More than anything, but your life-” He stopped himself before he got the chance to say  _ means so much to me _ .

“I’ll come back.”

Tears were already draining from his eyes. “You had better.” He pulled his head up to give him a long slow kiss. 

Watching the pod take off, alarms blared off in his head.  _ I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose you. Don’t let me lose you. _

 

Keith was running down the hallway, screaming Shiro’s name. A poisonous twinge of jealousy settling in his stomach. When the cockpit was shown to be empty, Keith turned to Lance, collapsing into his arms.

Thousands of thoughts poured into his head.  _ How will they form Voltron? Is Keith in love with him? Where  _ is _ he? I’ll bet this is your own fault. Is he even alive?  _

Later, after some discussion over how to proceed with the blade, Keith arrived in Lance’s room, just as he assumed he would.

Keith pulled up the sheets, climbing in. He didn’t attempt to kiss Lance or anything. He just curled up next to him, pressing his head into his chest, taking in a deep breath through his nose. Lance didn’t want to ask any questions. He wanted to believe that Keith just needed comfort and went to his number one choice to do so, someone he means a great deal to.

Yet, with Shiro missing, he couldn’t help, but wonder if Keith was just there because he missed him. Not because he felt anything for Lance.  _ Just be there for him, Lance _ .  His eyes grew damp, a full pain stabbed at him.

It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes when he pushed away. “I can’t do this.” He was the one trembling this time, covering his mouth. He didn’t say anything when he got out of his bed. He couldn’t be used any longer. He didn’t want it to end when they found Shiro again. He’d rather just end it then.

When he was almost out the door, though, he whispered, “I understand.” 


	2. Don't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories flash through Keith's head.

10 months previous:

 

Keith left his room, acting as calm as possible. When the door slid shut, he went running. He wasn’t even sure where he was going, but it was a chance. It was a chance to prove he wasn’t in love with Lance. If he cried over this, he might just accept it.

Shaking, he arrived in the observatory. He could see nearly all the space around the castle from up there. He missed Shiro. He would’ve been right there, able to help him sort this out. He  _ only _ had Shiro. Lance had  _ everyone _ . He could talk to anyone and it would be fine. An open book, some people might use to describe him.

He curled into a ball by the nearest window. He spent most of his life alone, and by now he should have been used to it. He was doing fine on his own out in the desert. The whole Voltron thing messed everything up. “Get used to being on a team,” he kept telling himself, but it wasn’t something he ever really wanted to do. 

 

The weeks went by, and the studies kept showing nothing on Shiro’s whereabouts. Though, Coran was following a trail on how his bayar had gotten into the black lion. 

“Shiro told me he wanted me to lead Voltron.” he said finally in front of the team. Lance flinched at that. Everyone else kept their solid horrified faces.

“Why would he do that? I mean, clearly you have your own lion.” Hunk.

“Who would pilot Red? Would Black even accept you?” Pidge.

Allura whispered, “that would be the second Galra to pilot the black lion.” She looked away, clearly ashamed with what she said, but it was an inevitable thought.

“Shiro knows you best. We ought to trust the man.” Coran, always the optimist.

Lance didn’t say anything, though. Once again, Keith reminded himself that he ruined everything with him. He shuddered under the blue paladin’s gaze, though. Those blue eyes so taunting, and he could only mentally apologize for having feelings for him.

“Coran’s right,” he finally spoke up. “Until we get Shiro back, we should try to respect his wishes. Not that I agree with them, though.” 

He really didn’t want to pilot Black, though. They didn’t even have Shiro’s armor, even. He really wanted to stay connected to Red and her aggressive nature. She always had good advice, and warm welcomes, even if she did try to keep him out sometimes.

Black was different, and very conflicted. She had the soothing voice of a mother, but even Keith could feel her struggle over her past with Zarkon for the short time he flew with her. Though, she had similarities to Shiro, and that was who Keith so severely needed at the time.

Allura’s eyes softened, and then nodded. “I suggest forming some sort of bond with Black, then.”

A lump formed in his throat as he went up to the hangar. It felt wrong, almost as if the system would stop processing any second. He approached Black, still in his red armor. “Please let me in.”

He was shocked when the barrier went down without hesitation. It had begun to feel like he was getting rejected over and over again, and it for once, felt nice to be accepted. “Good kitty,” escaped his lips as he went into her cockpit.

 

He spent a lot of time bonding with Black. He was with her more than he trained, which was hard to beat. Allura deemed it okay to have Keith avoid Red. He could feel her consciousness still, listening to her pain from being cut off. Eventually, the simple pain turned into blame. 

_ I hate you _ , the words kept passing through his head. She kept pushing at him to come visit her, and it took every inch of his willpower to keep him from doing so. While Black was similar to Shiro, Red was like  _ him _ . He could relate to her, and honestly, his impulsive behavior was only stimulated by her.

“Keith, you have to let me know if anything is bothering you,” Pidge repeated over and over again. 

“I’m fine,” he lied over and over again.

He knew she was never fooled, and he was grateful for her not pressuring him, despite the constant asking.

It went like that for a few weeks. No words from Lance, small encouragements from Hunk. Allura and Coran were more focused on finding Shiro. 

He was up with Black, trying to communicate, but there was still this block. He could pilot her just fine, but actually  _ understanding  _ her was the difficult part. A voice echoed through the coms, “come back to the control room, we have to discuss something, Keith.”

He went running to the others, entering with heavy breathing. They all turned around, concern kneaded on each of their faces. “What’s going on?”

“Any day now, the Galran forces are going to recuperate and try to strike back, and we will  _ need  _ to form Voltron,” Allura spoke, her shoulders rolled back. 

“We don’t have enough-”

“Paladins. We are aware.” Coran stepped in. “Now, every person has a certain quintessence pattern, and it matches up to your lion. Looking at the data, you also can match up to the black lion as an alternative. We need someone who can line up with the red lion. That’s the tricky part. I’ve already been rejected by her.”

He snorted, that was Red, alright. 

“Allura has the ability to pilot both the black and the blue lion. Now, we have pilots for both.”

“I can go back to Red, and-”

He clicked his tongue. “I’m sure you want to do that, but it has been agreed to respect Shiro’s wishes.”

He wanted to pound on the ground and beg for him to go back to her. How badly he wanted to feel that warm connection as he flew with her, but he only croaked. “Alright.”

“Lance has the ability to fly the red lion as an alternative.”

His eyes shot open to Lance, who had a sudden interest in the floor pattern. Panic flooded through him. Red knew  _ everything _ about Keith, including his feelings for him. If he bonded with her- No. Stop that thought.

_ Are you really going to let someone else take me? _ Red sounded in his head.

“Okay,” he said.  _ It’s only temporary, until we get Shiro back _ .

There was no response on either part. They were all sent to have dinner, and then they would go to bed. The next day they would train as a new team. Lance would have the red paladin suit, and Allura the blue. Keith had been given permission to use his blade of Marmora suit. 

In the middle of the night, he woke to the sound of shattering glass. He shot up, fully aware. He felt cold, something missing from his head. His breath became shallow, but fast. A raging headache arouse in his head. He put his face between his knees, trying to attain what had been lost.

_ Red? _

_ Red! _

When there was no response, he jumped from his bed, and ran. He only stopped when he arrived in Red’s hangar. He went up to her, but the force field remained perfectly intact. “RED!” He called, pounding on it, causing a sizzling reaction from his hand. “Red, please!” 

“Keith?” He jumped, turning to see Lance standing at the entry to the hangar. 

“She won’t let me in,” he said, unable to keep his voice from shuddering. Tears began to fall from his chin. “I can’t  _ feel  _ her anymore.” He kept slamming on the giant sphere. His screams turned into inaudible mumbling. 

Lance just stood there, unsure of what to do. 

Screaming continued to fill the air. Never before had Keith been this vocal. Memories of being scolded and beaten for speaking out made him collapse to the ground. Not only that, but Lance of all people had to witness it. 

“My bond with her is over.” He looked up, and he was gone.

He woke up again with a groan. He began to understand how Pidge felt while falling asleep in random places around the castle. The barrier was still up, and Keith concluded he wasn’t a paladin anymore.

While his head was still sore, he went down and got dressed in his new suit, and went down to the training deck. He expected everyone to be all over him about showing up late, but when they didn’t he figured Lance had told them about last night.  _ Without even talking to Keith about it _ . 

“Glad you could make it, sleepy,” Pidge commented.

“Lets just get going.”

Allura frowned, but nodded. “Indeed. We’re going to start with some mind meld exercises.” 

They all strapped in and sat in a circle. “Now, it is important to understand that this  _ is _ a different team and you still have to bond the same. Lance and Keith, it is critical that you think of the substitute lion.” Coran echoed through their coms. 

Lance gave Keith a sideways glance and he chose to ignore it. When he closed his eyes, the only thing he could think about was that gaze. The burning blue eyes and he knew he could see his  thoughts. He felt his breath increase, hoping Lance wasn’t thinking about him. His head flashed, he could feel Lance’s presence.  _ No, get me out of here! _

He saw himself, smiling. He felt pain in his stomach, his head pounding. There was a purplish tint. The Keith he saw began to flash away.  _ This is Lance’s memory _ . He was blinking, consciousness leaving him. The pain increased and Keith felt his hands go to his scalp and rip off the headset. 

Everyone seemed shook, but he could barely see through the tears already forming.  _ He did remember that moment. _ He couldn’t keep the gross sobs out, clutching large pieces of his hair.  _ He was never even close to being in love with you. He’s torturing you now. _

He wasn’t sure when he got up and left the room. 

“Keith! KEITH! PLEASE!” Lance had stood up, but there was no chance he was going to be as fast.

 

He had to face Lance again. He knew this well enough, but it felt so peaceful sealed in the black lion, where they would least expecting. “Shiro,” he finally whispered. “I really need you.”

All the progress he and Lance had made before the kiss seemed like a lie. Everything he said, everything he did. All those times they worked together and found a better cause. Keith shuddered, trying to assure himself it wasn’t just because of Lance’s feelings for Allura. 

_ You’ll figure this out,  _ a voice ran through his head.

He wiped one of the tears with the back of his hand. “Black?”

_ Essentially. _ There was a long pause.  _ You need to form Voltron, and fighting with Lance- the blue paladin- isn’t your best choice on this. _

He didn’t like the giant mechanical cat bossing him around on it, as if she knew anything about it. But she  _ did _ and that’s what bothered him the most, that she could just reach inside him and find the things he didn’t like most about himself. How stubborn he is, how quick to judge he is, and how alone he is.

Red would’ve just sat there, listening without response, but that didn’t matter anymore.

 

The next few days they continued training. Pidge was growing more and more frustrated. She had gotten in arguments with Coran about finding the rebel group that had her brother. Keith didn’t see the problem with that, since they had no leads on how to find Shiro, but Coran remained hesitant.

Lance was distant from the others, not arriving at meals and sulking around away from Keith. He hardly saw him anymore, but there was less fighting between the two. Keith genuinely thought that they were doing  _ better _ .

Allura was more determined than ever. She was the only one who could fully control the castle, though. Pidge and Hunk were helping with adjustments that would allow Coran to have more abilities with the castle, but it was a trying process.

Coran fully accepted his new responsibilities. The theory was then presented that Shiro could have been stuck on the astralplane. 

Pidge, who would normally be fascinated by this sciency stuff, just gave a soft gaze over her eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Do you not  _ believe _ ?” Keith asked.

“I believe just fine, but Shiro is stuck in basically another world and we’re here with  _ you _ as a leader.”

The comment made Keith sink back for a second. “What?” He knew she was bitter about something, but he didn’t think it had to do with his leadership skills. 

“You can barely maintain relationships with the nicest of us. You manage to sort out your priorities before conversing with your team,” she said while listing them on her fingers. “You don’t have a motivation. We’re aimlessly wandering in  _ space _ . We haven’t seen a fleet in days-” She groaned. “And we keep training and we’re not getting anywhere, but you keep forcing the same stupid tactic.” She pointed at him. “New team, new ideas.”

With that, she ran out of the room. Keith could sift through most of it, and he acknowledged he was getting tired of doing the same things without any progress. Although, he couldn’t understand the comment about his relationship with the nicest of them. He turned over to Hunk who made a very visible shrug. 

“She has a point, though.”

“Huh?”

“I hate to say it, but you’ve made Lance miserable. I’m not saying you have to fall in love with him or anything, but… He told me what happened between you two, and he blames himself.” He shifted his gaze to the floor.

“That- that was my fault.” He felt a rock settling in his stomach, shaking his head. “I said I  _ understood _ .”

“But you don’t trust him. Not after what happened with the head hole things.” He pouted. 

Sure, Keith was bitter about that, but it had been forever ago and honestly, he needed to be the leader, the bigger man, in that situation.  _ Lance feels guilty _ . Within seconds, he felt his feet move without permission, running down the hall to their little quarters.

He pounded on the door, and it slid open without hesitation. 

“Keith?”

“You weren’t-” he felt heat already rising to his cheeks, seeing Lance sprawled out on his bed, hair messy and eyes only slightly open “-up there. And I came to check on you.”

He swung his legs over his bed. “I’m fine, my man.” There was a small encouraging smile. “But I think I owe you an apology.” 

Keith sat next to him. “Whatever it is-”

“No, I really do owe you this, okay? Don’t interrupt me and act like you  _ know _ what I’m going to say.”

This was the first time Keith had gotten a good look at him since the training incident. Long bags had formed under his eyes, and he had grown a lot paler and thinner. “Okay.” 

“I chose a really bad time to confront my feelings for you-”

“Feel-”

“No.” He put a finger up to Keith’s lips. “No talking. It worked out, right? I mean, you get a distraction, I get to be…  _ closer _ to you, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t hold up and be what you needed after Shiro disappeared. I can be a distraction, but I can’t be a replacement.”

His eyes widened. 

“And not only that, the goddamn bonding moment. Probably the memory I play back the most, at this point. It was the second I realized that I had fallen for you. I wanted to pretend it didn’t happen rather than chase after the idea that someone like you would ever like me back.”

He felt his heart pounding, even as his finger lowered. 

“I was selfish and I’m so sorry.”

_ Don’t hurt him anymore than you already have _ , a due warning. “Protecting yourself isn’t anything you should apologize for.” He reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry for never listening to you. I tend to jump to conclusions.”

The small bit of physical touch made him warmer everywhere. What made it even better was the appreciative gaze Lance gave him. Right up until he said, “yeah. You do, mullet.”

After that, they were able to form Voltron and save Shiro. It took a little over a month for that feat. It was a touching moment to see Shiro in the back of Black’s cockpit. Even Pidge shed a few tears.

Though, another enemy had risen up from the ashes. Someone that Allura clearly knew,  _ Lotor. _

Lance gave him a flashy smile when Allura said, “paladins! Get to your lions!”

That was something they had in common, both of them lost a lion. There was a crashing reality of Red never letting him in again, but as he soared down on the zipline, red surrounding him. His red armor and bayar. Everything felt right. 

Running up to his lion, he touched the barrier. It didn’t move, and he heard Shiro over the coms. “ _ Remember, patience yields focus. _ ”

Something inside him broke. After a few months in the black lion, without Shiro, and something inside of him snapped. “I’m tired of waiting!” he screamed, a hand pulling back and hitting the barrier. 

As it did so, fire exploded from his hand, and the force field came down. Red leaned down to allow Keith in. 

_ I missed you, my paladin _ .

“Red,” he collapsed in her cockpit. “I missed you, too.”

He loved Shiro, and his advice did apply to many things. Yet, Keith couldn’t always follow it. It would never be him and he would  _ never _ fully be a leader. Those were the things he had to accept. The months had some good impacts, though. He learned more about his team, and he grew to call them his own.

“Ready, mullet?”

A memory came from Red at the sound of his voice. He saw Lance at the barrier.  _ “Okay, I understand if you don’t like me or don’t want to be my lion.” _

_ He took in a long breath, “but we need you. Shiro is missing, and this is the adjustment.” _

_ Still no response. _

_ “I saw him banging on your force field. You knew how upset he was, and if you don’t want to do this for Shiro. Then please, do it for Keith. I can’t bare to see him like this, and I know that if I can’t, you can’t either.” _

_ The translucent red dimmed down.  _

“More than you are.”

 

The battles kept coming. It wasn’t a matter of how they found us anymore, because they never had the chance to escape. They ended up on a planet, for the Galra kept involving the innocent lives. 

Lance and Keith were forced to help the villagers get to safety. They were distracting a small group of attackers to help the aliens escape. He heard the blue paladin scream, and something shattered. His arm had a deep cut in it as well as a fleshy burn on his torso, and Keith could only shove him aside to keep the enemies at bay.

“Stop the bleeding-”

“Keith-”

“ _ Do it,”  _ he hissed, stabbing through another drone. “I can’t lose you, Lance.”

“Yeah right, mullet-” he coughed. “Being dependant on someone else.”

“You always tried hard at the Garrison, despite them-” he shoved away purple armor, and went under to tackle. “-never appreciating your talent. You respected your peers more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He ducked from a blow from another soldiers. “You would instinctively save people. You’d be passionate about your home and family.” He whipped up his blade, slicing off a head. “And I don’t know how I could’ve gotten anyone like you to fall in love with me because I am so head over heals for you.”  
There was a light at the end of this, Pidge and Shiro were able to come aid them. Lance only spending a short time in the cryopod.

Lance came out of the tube dreary. He landed smack into Keith’s arms, and said, “feelings for me huh?”

“I-” he felt himself flush.

“That’s embarrassing.” 

In that meeting, Allura said they put a great dampening on their forces. The fight went on, though. Destroying more large bases and colonies. 

Nearly eight months passed, and the resistance had finally overthrown the Empire, with Lotor missing and Zarkon dead, and Lance was the one to suggest a celebration just before heading home. 

There had been encouraging kisses and long night talks, and he had never been so grateful  for Lance in his life. They ended up on a planet that had an interesting history. The surface had mass integrity, but it was actually hollow on the inside and the gravitational pull would send people into the void, but that was if you went into the deepest of caves. It was theorized to send people into an alternate universe. There was only one similar place like it found, a gateway, they called it. The people there had thrown themselves in when the Galra tried to take over.

On the planet’s surface, though, was a nice pink ocean. It was a perfectly romantic setting, but Keith, of course, was more interested on the inside. So, Lance and him went to explore them. Coran gave them one rule, don't fall into the void. They did a good job of that.

 

Present:

Lance had caught part of the edge,  holding tightly to Keith’s wrist, causing pain to erupt in all of his arm’s muscles. His ankle ached, but he still skimmed through the possibilities. None of the paladins were in their armor, and the lions would never fit in here.

“Lance, let me go-”

Tears in his eyes, Lance shook his head. 

“You can’t hold both of us-”

That’s when they heard the others calling their names.

“We’re in here!” 

When they poked their heads off their ledge, horrified looks.

“Hold on! We’re-” Hunk fumbled with his hands.

“Allura!” Lance called up to her. She looked as though she already knew the request. “Take the others to the other void. We’ll find you there.”

“Okay,” she made a nod, with the most serious face.

“Let me  _ go _ ! PLEASE!” He couldn’t bare the idea of Lance sacrificing himself. If he just let go he would be able to climb up to the others.

“You’re not getting away from me. Never again.” 

He watched as Lance’s fingers slipped off of the rocky edge, and they fell into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just me being a shit. THANK YOU FOR READING!  
> Please comment or contact me through tumblr!


End file.
